|
Grading
systems
and
regulations
by
grade
level
A.
General
guidelines
The
Middle
School
has
a
traditional
grading
system.
Letter
grades
(A,
B,
C,
D,
and
U)
are
used
in
grades
6,
7,
and
8
(except
for
grades
in
accelerated
courses
at
the
ninth
grade
level
that
go
on
the
high
school
transcript)
which
reflects
the
transition
between
the
elementary
school
and
high
school.
Report
card
grades
are
based
on
tests,
homework,
classroom
participation,
projects
and
assignments.
Although
there
is
much
similarity
in
the
way
teachers’
assess
student
performance,
there
are
some
differences
based
on
value
assigned
to
each
of
the
various
grading
components.
A
comment
section
relating
to
student
participation
in
class,
attitude
toward
work
and
thoroughness
in
preparation
of
homework
assignments
will
appear
in
a
separately
marked
column
for
the
marking
period
as
part
of
each
report
card.
Completion
of
this
section
by
the
teacher
is
recommended
but
not
mandatory
for
each
student.
There
will
be
a
minimum
of
ten
grades
per
quarter.
Supervised
tests
and
quizzes
in
class,
and
in
some
cases,
work
to
be
completed
outside
of
class
such
as
a
writing
assignment
(in
English
/
language
arts),
an
oral
report,
or
a
student
project
may
be
used.
The
various
tests,
quizzes,
and
projects
used
in
determining
the
student's
grades
will
be
proportionally
averaged
so
that
the
final
mark
is
indicative
of
the
student's
achievement
in
relationship
to
the
objectives
of
the
course.
Each
teacher
will
have
a
written
grading
policy
to
be
shared
with
parents
and
students.
Make-up
procedures
and
incomplete
grades:
-
Students
who
are
absent
must
make
special
arrangements
to
complete
any
work
missed;
-
Every
effort
should
be
made
for
students
to
take
a
make-up
test
within
one
week
of
the
time
the
student
returns
to
school.
-
Students
must
complete
work
in
a
manner
such
that
incomplete
grades
can
be
converted
to
grades
within
two
weeks
after
the
end
of
the
marking
period
date.
Teachers
must
enter
a
grade
within
this
two
week
window.
-
In
the
event
that
a
student
misses
a
final
exam
but
will
return
to
school
prior
to
the
half-day
sessions
in
June,
the
teacher
should
arrange
for
the
student
to
take
the
exams.
-
If
the
student
misses
a
final
exam
but
will
not
be
returning
to
school,
then
the
teacher
must
notify
the
Guidance
Office
and
submit
a
copy
of
the
final
exam,
answer
key,
and
any
supporting
materials.
The
House
Office
will
arrange
make-up
times
for
those
students
who
miss
exams
after
the
half-day
sessions.
Top
B.
Grading
system
Regular
classes
Some
teachers
assign
numerical
grades
to
each
completed
piece
of
student
work,
then
calculate
a
numerical
average
for
the
quarter
and
finally
translate
that
average
to
a
letter
grade.
Other
teachers
assign
a
letter
grade
to
each
piece
of
work
as
a
basis
for
determining
a
quarterly
grade.
Others
use
a
check,
check-plus,
check-minus
system.
There
is
no
requirement
that
one
system
be
used
by
all.
Any
system
that
is
fair,
explainable
and
reflective
of
the
relative
accomplishment
of
students
is
acceptable.
Whatever
the
approach
for
student
grading
and
assessment,
the
practice
will
be
communicated
to
students
and
parents.
| Letter
grade |
Meaning |
Rough
numerical
equivalents |
| A |
excellent
achievement |
90-100 |
| B |
good
achievement |
80-89 |
| C |
satisfactory
achievement |
73-79 |
| D |
barely
passing |
69-72 |
| U |
below
minimum
standard/failure |
0-68 |
The
teacher
may
use
plus
(+)
and
minus
(-)
signs
to
signify
students
who
are
at
the
high
and
low
ends
of
the
A,
B,
C
ranges.
There
is
no
"F"
in
our
grading
system.
Also,
there
is
no
"D+"
or
"D-"
in
our
system.
However,
teacher
discretion
is
permissible
in
some
instances.
For
example,
if
a
teacher
maintains
a
numerical
record
and
the
student’s
overall
average
is
just
below
90,
a
grade
of
"A"
or
"A-"
can
be
given.
This
decision
may
be
based
on
difficult
tests
or
assignments
for
that
particular
class.
Similarly,
a
student
whose
average
is
below
68,
may
in
the
teacher's
mind,
deserve
a
grade
higher
than
a
"U"
based
more
on
effort
and
having
a
positive
attitude,
than
the
actual
numerical
average.
A
teacher
may
award
a
grade
of
"D"
in
that
instance.
Questions
concerning
this
provision
should
be
directed
to
the
appropriate
supervisor,
house
principal,
or
principal.
Top
Calculating
the
final
average
Final
grades
are
determined
from
the
quarterly
grades.
For
year
long
courses,
the
final
grade
is
the
average
of
the
four
alpha
marking
periods.
In
classes
where
final
examinations
are
given,
the
exams
count
as
20%
of
the
final
ten-week
mark.
Eighth
grade
students
take
several
State
tests
starting
in
January
and
ending
in
June.
These
are
not
used
in
grade
computation.
Students
taking
high
school
courses
at
the
middle
school
have
four
quarterly
numeric
grades.
The
regents
or
final
exam
is
added
to
these
grades
and
divided
by
five
(5)
to
determine
the
final
grade.
In
each
course,
the
passing
grade
is
a
"D"
average
for
the
year
which
is
equivalent
to
2.0.
A
further
requirement
for
students
is
that
they
must
be
earn
a
passing
grade
in
at
least
one
of
the
last
two
marking
periods.
Academic
intervention
support
and
assistance
will
be
a
high
priority
for
these
students
whose
grades
are
in
danger
of
failing
a
course.
If
the
student’s
achievement
improves
during
the
marking
period
and
the
average
mark
falls
halfway
between
two
grades
(e.g.,
B
and
B+),
the
student
should
be
given
the
higher
grade
(B+).
Students
whose
achievement
is
declining,
may
be
given
the
lower
grade.
When
the
final
average
is
computed
in
June,
the
computer
program
will
automatically
calculate
the
average
based
on
the
grades
available.
Teachers
who
wish
to
override
the
computer,
must
fill
out
an
override
form
documenting
reasons
and
complete
the
final
average
themselves.
Some
students/courses
are
graded
with
an
S/U
or
Pass/Fail
sequence
(i.e.,
some
non-English
speaking
students).
The
computer
will
NOT
compute
final
course
averages
correctly
in
these
cases.
A
teacher
must
determine
the
final
average
and
bubble
in
the
resulting
"S"
or
"U"
in
the
"Average"
column.
Top
Additional
Grading
Systems
Student
Assessment
in
Other
Disciplines,
grades
6-8
Art,
Health,
Home
and
Career
Skills,
Technology
Education,
General
Music:
Courses
in
these
areas
vary
in
length
in
the
different
grades.
Some
courses
run
for
ten
weeks,
others
for
twenty
weeks.
Interim
progress
reports
(generally
at
the
mid-point)
must
be
sent
to
students
not
making
an
effort
in
class.
The
teacher
has
the
option
to
send
Interim
Progress
Reports
for
those
students
who
are
making
an
effort
and
doing
well.
At
the
completion
of
a
ten
or
twenty-week
course,
a
final
grade
will
be
included
on
the
report
card.
Student
Assessment
in
Physical
Education
In
compliance
with
the
district
policy
on
Student
Assessment
and
Grade
Reporting
Systems
and
the
New
York
State
Physical
Education
Assessment
guidelines,
the
Farnsworth
Middle
School
Physical
Education
Department
continues
to
adopt
and
implement
strategies
to
meet
the
framework
of
the
NYS
Standards.
Understanding
the
three
standards
as
they
apply
to
physical
education,
the
curriculum
is
designed
to
assess
student
outcomes
in
alignment
with
the
performance
rubrics
that
are
clearly
stated
for
each
unit.
Performance
rubrics
are
set
to
assess
each
child’s
skill
level,
effort/behavior,
and
knowledge
of
rules
and
strategies
for
each
unit
taught.
A
student
will
receive
a
numerical
grade
of
a
four
down
to
a
zero
{four
being
the
highest
and
zero
the
lowest},
for
each
performance
rubric
during
every
unit.
Each
unit
taught
in
a
particular
semester
is
than
calculated
giving
an
overall
grade
for
that
semester
or
year.
Grading
of
New
Entrants
If
grades
are
available
from
the
former
school,
these
will
be
interpreted
by
the
guidance
department,
administration
and
department
supervisor
to
arrive
at
ten-week
grades
compatible
with
our
grading
system.
If
there
are
no
grades
available
for
the
missing
marking
periods,
no
grades
will
be
given
for
these
missing
marks
until
completion
of
the
fourth
marking
period.
At
this
time,
the
grades
for
the
marking
periods
present
will
be
averaged
and
this
average
will
constitute
the
grades
for
the
missing
period.
If
students
are
enrolled
during
a
ten-week
period
and
are
present
for
50%
of
the
time,
they
will
receive
a
grade
based
on
their
achievement
while
attending
Farnsworth
Middle
School.
Top
C.
Parent
communication
Communication
to
students
and
parents
about
student
performance
occurs
at
five
week
intervals.
Report
cards
are
sent
home
every
ten
weeks
according
to
the
schedule
on
the
school
calendar.
Interim
reports
are
sent
home
at
5
week
intervals
between
report
cards.
Questions
regarding
grades
should
be
addressed
to
individual
teachers.
Conferences:
If
parents
or
teachers
wish
to
schedule
a
conference,
they
should
arrange
the
dates
through
the
House
Principal’s
office.
Conferences
may
be
scheduled
with
individual
teachers
or
the
full
team.
Team
planning
time
will
constitute
the
major
portion
of
time
devoted
to
teacher/parent
conferences,
especially
when
all
team
teachers
are
at
the
meeting.
Criteria
for
Substantial
Fall-Off
Determination:
Each
teacher
will
make
contact
with
a
parent
whenever
any
substantial
fall-off
in
a
student's
performance
or
achievement
occurs.
The
purpose
is
to
inform
parents
of
the
situation
and
to
consult
with
them
toward
a
cooperative
action
to
remedy
the
situation.
Substantial
fall-off
in
student
performance
is
defined
as
follows:
-
When
the
student's
performance
(class
participation,
homework,
projects,
assignments,
quizzes,
reports,
and
the
like)
has
deteriorated
to
the
extent
that
there
will
be
a
decline
of
a
full
one-letter
grade
or
more
on
his/her
next
report
card
(or
the
equivalent
of
a
10
point
decline
in
the
student’s
class
average),
i.e.,
A-
to
B-,
B+
to
C+;
or
-
When
it
appears
that
the
child
will
receive
a
D
or
lower
during
the
marking
period
in
which
he/she
enters
a
new
grade.
These
procedures
will
be
followed
in
contacting
parents
to
report
substantial
fall-off:
-
Teacher:
Initial
contact
with
the
parent
should
be
immediately
made
by
the
teacher.
The
teacher
should
offer
to
set
up
a
conference
if
the
parent
desires
and
inform
the
counselor.
-
Counselor:
The
counselor
will
discuss
the
student's
fall-off
with
the
teacher
to
determine
appropriate
assistance
that
can
be
provided.
-
Department
Supervisor:
The
department
supervisor
will
review
the
report
cards
and
student
fall-off
records
to
ensure
that
parents
have
been
informed
of
the
drop
in
student
performance.
Top
D.
End
of
the
year
reporting
An
End-of-the-Year
Grade
Reporting
booklet
will
be
distributed
in
June
to
assist
teachers
in
finalizing
grades
for
the
year.
Teachers
are
to
submit
all
grade
books
to
their
department
supervisor
on
the
last
day
of
school.
Supervisors
will
forward
the
books
to
the
Guidance
Office.
Teachers
should
clearly
label
the
following:
-
Fourth
Quarter
Section;
-
Final
Test
Grade;
-
Final
Average.
In
addition,
in
their
grade
books,
teachers
shall
clarify
their
formula
for
calculating
fourth
quarter
and
final
grades.
The
guidance
counselor,
supervisor,
and/or
administrator
must
be
able
to
recalculate
a
student's
grade
from
the
grade
book.
Grade
books
will
be
clearly
marked
with
the
teacher's
name
in
the
upper
right
corner.
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